


The Last Thoughts at Concord

by Pseudonaut



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Angst and Humor, Character Death, Comfort/Angst, F/M, Hurt, Love/Hate, Post-Canon, Short One Shot, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-16 18:23:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5836045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pseudonaut/pseuds/Pseudonaut
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short lived feelings of victory and excitement were snuffed out after the Vault decided to take one of them. Right at the end it took dying to realise how much Rhys depended on Fiona, and how unprepared Fiona was to continue without Rhys by her side. Like family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Thoughts at Concord

**Author's Note:**

> Archive warnings say it all. Mostly. Making the rating explicit was a final adjustment. Gets pretty heavy, so please be warned. Don't know if I'm any good at writing death or admitting feelings or if this is even a good length but here we go. 
> 
> (Never usually get "inspired" by a song but the one I listened to over and over was The Blanket of Night by Elbow. Great band and my now Rhyiona song, so.)
> 
> Thanks for reading regardless of whether you like it or not.  
> Again, thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unease, happiness, goosebumps crawling up his skin, feelings of sheer terror, even pride had all entered Rhys in that order as the glowing chest in front of him and Fiona opened with their heavy push. He could barley feel the Eridium burn on his finger tips and palms before they were taken. And after the bright purple light that had invaded his vision finally faded and was replaced by his companion's shocked and wide green eyes, tragic that only now did he notice how pretty they were. And how much pain had taken over him.

In the deep, dark purple cave they had teleported to was covered from wall to jagged wall in thick, long and big, faintly glowing clear crystals it would be no surprise that one of them would materialise through one.

Rhys, to both their surprise  _was_ that one.

 

* * *

 

 _"_ Rhys?! _"_

 

He heard Fiona's confused cry through the blackness, her show of emotion was a nice change, it didn't help him ignore a burning feeling in his abdomen. Looking down, quickly, he saw a hole in his body, from his back and forcing it's way through to impale him was one of those alien, fucking crystal. Gushing crimson blood now quickly pouring around the mineral. It was violent along with now torn fabric of his dirty, sand caked suit. It might not have been the most blood he'd ever seen, especially after spending precious time on Pandora. But the most he's seen coming from himself. It was sickly, abhorrent, and all he could do was weakly fall to the ground, the now brittle crystal cracking behind him as it snapped, covering the small pebbles that also littered the cave along with soil of the ground in tiny shards of sparkling debris.

He let out a sharp and high groan of discomfort, fear and pain all hitting him at once. Fiona dashed to his side, sliding onto her knees with a pained look covering her now pale face. Almost as pale as Rhys'.

 _"_ You idiot! _"_   She almost screamed, now resting his body on her lap and inspecting the damage. Her hand hovered over the crystal faintly, noticing how dark the blood was and how it was practically staining the in bedded crystal.

His eyes were wide and white as a ghost, _"_ Are you saying this is my fault?! _"_   Rhys snapped back in a stern tone, his voice hoarse and dry.

Fiona tried to act, make him more comfortable, do anything she could to stop the bleeding. _"_ No- Yes!- I ju- _"_   She stopped shouting with a worried catch of breath, _"_ Rhys, I just, I don't know what I can do!... _"_

The intrusion had likely destroyed one of his kidneys and completely destroyed his hip bone. Not knowing what was keeping him alive. Maybe he just wasn't ready to die. And after her sister was almost taken in front of her, after fighting off a giant alien monster from the inside, she just didn't care if he saw her begin to tear up. And Fiona _had_ teared up. Fluid loosely hanging from her eyelashes before falling onto one Rhys' glowing orange shirt button.

Defeat was plastered on his trembling face as his only steady limb, the one not covered in blood, his robot arm gripped his wound from the side. Rhys only wept to her. _"_ Y-ou don't have to do anything... _"_   tears sprung in his eye, significantly more than Fiona's, even if only one worked. _"-_ but stay. Please- _"_

The con artist only replied to the typically stupid request in several cooed hushes in order to try and comfort him, slightly coming off as motherly. It helped him though, as much pain he was in behind it all was something close to acceptance in the moment. While her left hand held the back of his robotic one steady the other, shaking and dry instinctively cupped her companion's face, soaking her palm in warm tears. 

 _"_ Sshh!- Sshhut up! I'm _obviously_  not going anywhere! I don't even know where we are! _"_ She'd be alone without him. She'd have to leave him behind. Fiona sobbed rhythmically thinking about this. It was hard to focus on three extremes. Flashes of deja-vu taking over her instead.

Rhys coughed up spatters of blood from his chest, some of it painting the black canvas of Fiona's jacket, _"_ I'm dying, aren't I?! _"_ He breathed harshly, panicked, making her grip tighten.  _"_ I-I don't want to die, Fiona! _"_

The woman just nodded at the dying man, her lips trembling. Because she didn't want him to die either, feeling sick, unable to take this situation in mentally.

 _"_ I need to tell you- I told you I wa-wasn't interested in- _"_   He had cut himself off. Last thing he needed to think about was who he was leaving. _"_ I said I liked someone else when you asked... _"_

She just looked up, rolled her eyes and huffed,  _"_ I know you were talking about me, you idiot! You had that dumb, stupid smile on your face!.. _"_  Fiona croaked before her face changed, _"_ And you looked at me. _"_   eyebrows narrowing and voice going quieter, like she was warning.  _"_ Rhys, please, don't you dare do this too me... _"_

Instead of telling her his confession his voice was replaced by silence, except the heavy breaths through his nose.  Shocked wouldn't be the right word. It was closer to relief. But knowing it was all crumbling down had numbed Rhys. He didn't know how long he had left, he didn't really give a shit. Was this all a lack of emotion or a feeling of serenity? The older you get the more accepting to death you become, his mind was felling all this, his body was close to oblivion but his brain was not even close to giving in. Which meant he was still terrified.

 _"_...A-nd? _"_

 _"_ What? _"_ Fiona responded quizzically, the silence making her notice their voices echoing in this almost pitch black grave they were stuck in. Light was coming from somewhere, she just couldn't care where from right now.

Rhys swallowed, must have been more blood than saliva.

 _"_ You-know, do you. Like me? _"_

She asked him not to do this too her, quiet nicely under the circumstances.  _"_ I don't want to miss you, Rhys... _"_ Fiona sobbed, more tears falling, the pitter-patter of they hitting her partner so audible in the deafening silence still surrounding them.

Heavy thumps in her chests answered his question, she wasn't going to say it, and it wouldn't take death to pry it out of her.

He _loved_ that about her. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The former Hyperion was fading, he couldn't feel his legs any more, it took away the pain that did this to him. He had to admit he was thankful for that, spending these last moments with the best thing that happened in his short excuse for a life. If he had time for last words they'd be now, hadn't exactly prepared a speech, but fuck it, Jack had always spoken from the heart.

 _"_ I have no idea what's outside or what's going to happen but I know you can do it. You don't need me. You never needed anyone. You're the st-strongest, bravest person I know... _"_

Even if there weren't many other to choose from.

 _" -_ Of course I do! _"_   Fiona cried, holding him tighter.  _"_ You stupid asshole, of course I need you! _"_

Her tears were streaming, warming his face as they landed on his pale features. She did need him, ever since she met him she needed him. Maybe, if she could redo all this, she should have told him sooner. 

Rhys just smiled, barley, noticing her big green eyes again. Like planets, covered in water. He took hold of her twitching hand with his own, curling his fingers in between her's. 

 _"_ Don- _"_

The blood stopped, his arms had gone lifeless, eyes slowly rolling back as his mouth hung open on that last syllable, various lights on his cybernetics switching off one by one in a dim orange and blue. There really was silence after that, hanging for what felt like an eternity, even the stirring of rocks and muffled noises above were cut.

 _"_ Rhys?.. _"_    Fiona whispered, more tears forming as she lightly shook the suited husk she was holding onto for dear life.  _"_ Rhys?!.. _"_

Her voice went higher as that name escaped her lips once, last time, before her head slumped down onto his, her body convulsing as she rocked him back and forth in between sobs, crystals still illuminating the deep, dark cave as an even brighter light, sunlight, shone a warming ray from behind shot onto her back.

**Author's Note:**

> *Comment moderation is disabled, feel free to comment anything, criticism is welcome, if you notice anything wrong then please let me know.  
> Thank you.


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